Mainz, 7 October 2008 – Recent weeks have seen SCHOTT Solar continue to secure important major contracts in promising solar thermal power plant markets: SCHOTT Solar CSP GmbH, a wholly owned subsidiary of SCHOTT Solar AG, signed contracts for the supply of more than 65,000 receivers to the Middle East and the USA. The recently approved Investment Tax Credits for renewable energies in the US yield additional planning security for future CSP projects. In addition to that the company recently announced a contract for the supply of 80,000 receivers to a Spanish customer for projects in Southern Europe, the single biggest order ever filed by the CSP business.

“These contracts impressively illustrate our leading position in the CSP area. At the same time, these contracts in three important growth regions highlight the international importance of SCHOTT Solar CSP GmbH as the leading manufacturer of a key component of solar thermal power plants using parabolic trough technology,” said Dr. Martin Heming, CEO of SCHOTT Solar AG.

The planned project in the Middle East has the potential to send a signal to the entire region which today relies almost exclusively on fossil fuels for electricity generation. However, the region is not only rich in oil and gas resources but, at 1,975 kWh/m², also benefits from an average annual insolation which is almost twice as high as in Germany.

The sun-belt regions of the USA offer highly attractive conditions for solar thermal power plants as well. The solar power plants installed in the early eighties in California’s Mojave desert have long demonstrated that parabolic trough technology is well capable of delivering steady and dependable energy yields on a sustainable basis. A few months ago, the launch of the 64 Megawatt "Nevada Solar One" power plant near Las Vegas marked an impressive renaissance of this technology, demonstrating the scalability and attractiveness of solar thermal power plants. In Addition, Florida Power & Light Company recently announced its plan to construct a “Hybrid” Energy Center coupling solar thermal technology with an existing combined-cycle power plant. The receivers for this energy center will be supplied by SCHOTT Solar.

Further dynamics for new CSP projects in the US arise from the recently approved governmental support for renewable energies. By the end of last week President George W. Bush and the House passed the proposal for the prolongation of the so called Investment Tax Credits (ITC) which had been submitted by the Senat shortly before. The supportive scheme for solar projects now has a duration of eight years and will provide a fundamental additional planning and realisation security especially for the CSP market.  

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Further information is available under www.schottsolar.de

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About SCHOTT Solar AG:

SCHOTT Solar’s high quality products exploit the virtually inexhaustible potential of the sun as a renewable source of energy. For this purpose SCHOTT Solar produces important components for photovoltaic applications and solar energy plants with parabolic trough technology. In the photovoltaic industry, the company is one of the few integrated manufacturers of crystalline silicon wafers, solar cells and photovoltaic modules. Wafer production is mainly carried out through a WACKER SCHOTT Solar joint venture, which ensures the supply of silicon necessary for long-term growth. Thanks to over 20 years of experience in thin-film technology, SCHOTT Solar also regards itself as one of the industry’s cutting-edge companies. In receiver production for solar power plants with parabolic trough technology, SCHOTT Solar considers itself to be the market and technology leader. The receivers are key components in large-scale power plants that generate electricity from solar energy centrally on the basis of parabolic trough technology and can supply entire cities with power. SCHOTT Solar has production facilities in Germany, the Czech Republic, the USA and Spain. SCHOTT Solar’s innovative power and technological expertise date back to the late 1950s. The main shareholder of SCHOTT Solar AG is SCHOTT AG, Mainz. SCHOTT develops special materials, components and systems for the household appliance, pharmaceutical, solar energy, electronics, optical and automotive industries. With around 16,700 employees, the SCHOTT Group generated a worldwide turnover of about 2.1 billion euros in fiscal year 2006/2007.

Contact:

         
Lars Waldmann               
Presse und Öffentlichkeitsarbeit   
Tel:     +49 (0)6023 - 91 1811       
Fax:     +49 (0)6023 - 91 1700       
lars.waldmann@schott.com       
www.schottsolar.de